Apparatus for making cement blocks



Mar. zo, 1923. 1,448,911

A. `BRUCKNER APPARATUS FOR MAKING CEMENT BLOCKS Filed May 4, 1922 2 sheets-sheet l IN V EN TOR. MWL lf3/Mdm BY im /wf/M/ ATTORNEY Mar. 20, 1923.

- A. BRUCKNER APPARATUS FOR MAKING CEMENT BLOCKS Filed May 4, 1922 2 sheets-she'et 2 ATTORNEY..

Patented hier.' Ztl,

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ALBERT BRUCKNER, E ETNA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FDR lllNG CEMENT BLOCKS.

Application flied May 4,

To @ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, iiniinn'r lnnciiivnn, a citizen olt the United States, residing at Etna, in the county ot Allegheny and State et Peniisylvania, have invented new and useful improvements in Apparatus for lvaking (lenient Blocks, oi which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines ior inaking cement blocks.

The object of this invention is to provide a collapsible mold which supports tie-rods for connecting portions oi the blocks together in a novel manner. f

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a mold ior making rectangular bloc is; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section oi' the upper part oitl Fig.A 1 and a side view 01"' the lower part thereof, a portion being broken away; Fig. 3, an end elevation oi' F ig. 1; Fig. 4, a plan view oit' a bottom board or plate on which the blocks are cast; Fig. 5, a central longitudinal section of the middle portion of Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a 'side elevation of the portion of Fig. 1 represented by F ig. 6; Fig. 7, a top plan view oi' a mold for making a corner block; Fig. 3, a sectional detail along the line VIII- V111 ot F 7 g Fig. 9, a side view of the portion oit 7 represented by Fig. 8; Fig. 10,)a bottom plan view of Fig. 1, parts being in section; Fig. 11, a plan view oi' a block cast in the mold shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 12, plan view of a block cast in the moldl shown in Fig. 7

Referring irst to Figs. 1 to 6, 1() and 11, 1 designates the base or table of a moulding or casting apparatus, having the legs 2, the sides 3 enclosing the upper part or' the table, and the tiebars 4 connecting opposing legs 2 below the sides 5 is the top of the table and has the central longitudinal slot 6, and the branch slot 7 i On the top 5 l arrange the Inold-bottonA or plate 3 having the slot 9 registering with the slot 6, the slot 9 being somewhat widened at its central portion as shown at 10, and the slot 6 being as wide as the said widened portion 10 of the slot 9.

Three mold-sides 11, 12, and 13 are hinged at their bottom edges to the top 5 near its edges7 the remaining mold-side 14 being hinged to the mold-side 11. The moldside 12 may have spaced lugs 15 to receive the adjacent ends of the sides 11 and 13, and the side 13has the lugs 16 to receive the tree leas. Serial No. 558,353.

end oit the side 14. The bottom plate 8 has the end extensions 17 which project into recesses in the bottom edges of the mold-sides 12 and 14. Y

Arranged to slide up and down is 'the mold spacer or divider 31 comprising the five sec tions 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 arranged end to end, the sections 19, 21 and 23 being connected. together' by the twoinetal plates 24 secured to the sections 19, 21 and 23 by the screws 25V or other suitable means. The sections 20 and 22 stand, respectively, between the sections 19 and 21, and the sections 21 and 23. rlhe sections 20 and 22 normally touch the sections 19 and 23, respectively,

and are yieldingly held against said sections by the expansive action of the coiled spring 26 having its ends connected to the sections 2O and 22. rlihe lower portions of the sections 20 and 22 have tongues 27 in recesses 23 in the adjacent sections 19 and 23 to hold and guide the latter sections.` The outer edges of the sections 20 and 22 have one or more notches 29 to support the horizontal metal tie-rods 30, which project well into the mold spaces on each side of the spacer or divider 31.

32 is a lever `pivoted to one of the bars 4 and has one end pivotedto the bar 33 connected to the section 21 by the pin 34. i

35 is a lever restringen the bracket 39 and is pivoted at 36 so as to have horizontal movement. A rope 37 connects the upper end of the inner edge of the section 20 to the lever 35 at one side of the pivot 36, and the rope 38 connects the upper end of the inner edge of the section 22 to the lever 35 at the other side of the said pivot. rlhe outer end ot the lever normally rests on the bracket 39 secured to the lower edge of the front side 3, the lever working in a slot 40 in the said side. The parts being as shown, cement or concrete is poured into the mold spaces 41 and 42 on opposite sides of the divider 31. the poured material has become hard, the mold-sides are swung away from the molded block; the lever 35is movedto the right, which causes the ropes 37 and 38 to swing the sections 2O and 22 toward the section 21 so that the notches 29 are out of line with the tie-rods 30; and then the lever 32 is lifted, thereby causing the divider 3l to travel down free from the molded .i block which comprises the members 44 and tied together by the rods 30, as shown in Fig. 11.

.After placed end opposite end, .but with a pair oi l i n blocks composed ot spaced members con- `in the slots 7 and 9b.

The bottom plate 8 with the block thereon may then be removed. A tresh'plate t is then placed on the top 5; the mold-sides are closed; the divider' 3l is raised to its normal position by the lever 32; tie-rods 3() 'are placed in the notches 29; and the lever is moved to the left, allowing the spring` 26 to move the sec-tions and 22 outwardly. The lever rests on the bracket 239 and thereby holds the divider 3l in its elevated position.

Then it is desired to malte a corner block like that shown in Fig. l2, the plate 8 is replaced by the bottom-plate 8 (lzigr. 7 having` the longitudinal slot il and the branch slot 9b,'the slot la terminating at the .slot 9b. rrthe plate Se covers thatportion of the slot 6 which extends beyond the slot 7 and registers with the slot (5 trom the moldside i2a to the slot 7, the latter regieistering with the slot 9b.

The divider 3l is" L-shaped and has the sections 46, 47, 48 and 49, the sections being tierod holders 50 between adjacent ends, and the section i8 being L-shaped with one oi its legsin the slots 6 and 9il and the other The holders are made ofmetal and are hollow so as to sur- '8a is placed on the top 5.

round the opposing` ends ot the' sections 426-49 on all sides except the bottom side.

rI`he opposing faces ot each pair form a i tighthjoint 5l when in their normal positions,

`the lever l85, the ropesG are all drawn down, as are the ropes 37 Aand 38 in Fig. 5, where- Vby notches 29h1 will pass by the tie-rods 30u lwhen' the lever is operated as in Fig. l

tomovethe divider downwardly, the wedges 53 serving as connectors for the sections. The mold-sides having` been swung; down the corner block like that shown in Fig; i2 may be removed on the platei`8l, Another plate The lever 32 is operated to move the divider 3la to its normal position, the lever 35 preferably being,` moved to the lett so that thesprings 52-may close theV members 50` and thus allow the `wedges 53 the better to serve as connectors between the successive divider sections. The members 50 are then opened lby the lever 35 or by hand and Jfresh tie-rods are placed in theuiotc'hes 29a. The sides of the mold are then closed and the mold is ready for another casting` operation.

The mold-sides may have the projections 57 for forming recesses 58 in the ends of the blocks.

rlhe ends of the dividers may be guided by pairs of lugs 59.

I claim l. In an apparatus tor forming cement blocks composed ot spaced members connected by tie-rods, a slotted mold-bottom, collapsible moldssides, a divider dividing the space enclosed by the mold-sides into plural casting spaces and having vertical travel through the slot whereby it may retire trom the said space, and horizontally movable means carried by the divider and having` lateral notches `for supporting' the said tie-rods with their opposite ends in the said casting spaces, the said means having movement in one direction to hold the tie-rods in the notches and in the opposite direction to vbe released therefrom.

2. In an apparatus for forming cement nected by tie-rods, a slotted mold-bottom, collapsible mold-sides, and a divider dividing` the space enclosed by the mold-sides into plural casting spaces land having vertical travel through the slot whereby it mayl retire from the said space, the divider having pivoted members with notches to receive and support the tie-rods and movable laterally to release the membersl from the tie rods.

3. In an apparatus for. forming cement blocksk composed of spaced members connected by tie-rods, a slotted mold-bottom, collapsible mold-sides, and a divider dividing the space enclosed bythe mold-sides into plural casting` spaces and 'having vertical tra-vel through the slot wherebyit'may retire from the said space, pivotal devices fcarried by the div'ider'and having notches which surround and support the tie-rods and means tor moving the devices to release them from the tie rods.

4. ln an apparatus for forming cement blocks composed lot spaced members-"connected by tie-rods, a slotted mold-bottom, collapsible mold-sides, a divider dividing the space enclosed by the mold-sides 'into plural casting` spaces and having vertical "travel throughzthe slot whereby it mayretire from the said space, the divider having Vmovable members with notches which surround and support the tieerods, and means'for moving the members horizontally away Ifrom 'the tie-rods whereby the divider may be lowered ltree from engagement with the tie-rods.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this lst day of May, 1922.

' ALBERTv BRUGKNER. 

